


Gentle nights

by Leetaemint1xxx



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, Original Character(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-07-11 19:18:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15978749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leetaemint1xxx/pseuds/Leetaemint1xxx
Summary: Rey had no idea stumbling upon a strange man in the middle of a desert would cause her so much pain and sorrow. She gets involved with a dangerous organisation called the First Order, which causes destruction all over the country and wishes to obliterate everyone standing in its way, including her.She then bonds with Kylo Ren, who seems just as lonely and damaged as she is, crossing a line she never wanted to draw in the first place.





	1. Home

The sun is blazing hot like it does every day, trapping you in a scorching invisible bubble you cannot escape. The rays reach everywhere, few areas are happy to steer clear of them. Even if you went to hide under a shade, the heat would eventually drive you crazy. Like always, there are no clouds in the sky to block the sun, which means there will be no rain at least for a few years.  
The vast land is eerily still, no sound to be heard. Scarcely anyone wanders into this part of the town unless they are desperate or just plain stupid. Animals stay away from this place as well, but you can sometimes see a vulture circling the skies, searching for prey to feed on. Plants do not thrive here, although if you look hard enough, you will find one stubborn, tiny flower that refused to give up to the harsh environment. Wherever you glance there is sand, sand and more sand.  
Goazon Badlands is a cruel place, but somehow Rey managed to survive here.  
It is her home, the only home she knows.  
Memories of the life she could have had were long gone. The images she held onto so tightly are now blurry along with her parents' faces. She does not remember them at all having been abandoned in this awful town at a young age. She has no idea whether if they loved or hated her. The concept of a loving family is foreign to her.  
Rey has been alone ever since she can remember. Every birthday, Christmas, Easter, summer holiday she spends by herself. There are people all around her, of course, but the feeling of loneliness and lack of belonging has never left her. She has seen many off-worlders roaming the deserts and wondered why would they come to such a dreaded place. They must have stumbled upon here by a mistake, or that is how she has always explained it to herself. They do not belong here with their sun-kissed faces, delicate features and extravagant clothes. Those people leave quickly, scared and disgusted, and that is fine by her. They would not live to see another day here.  
Ultimately, Rey has no one. Ever since she arrived in the town she has been hoping it was all a misunderstanding, that someone, anyone would come back one day for her and sweep her in their arms in a loving embrace. Some may call it wishful thinking, but that hope, that longing helped her get through the especially grim days.  
When she was younger, she had to stay in an orphanage. It was the only one in the town of Jakku, Arizona and the area around it. It had been built decades ago and through all those years nobody has bothered to paint the dirty walls, seal the wooden windows or repair the holes in the roof. It was a dirty, creepy hole not fit for children. She tried to run so many times. No matter how much she scratched, yelled and bit, they would always drag her back in to lock her up like a feral animal.  
Although the mere thought of that place still makes her shiver, she did learn a lot there. There was one principal rule the children had to obey - if you have claimed it, it is yours. Smaller and weaker kids were forced to fend for themselves without a cot to lie on, walking hungry and thirsty for days. One day a rotting body of a young boy was found in one of the storage rooms. The administration was furious because a clearing crew had to be hired.  
Rey was fairly quick and lithe so she was usually able to avoid confrontations with other children. She was not afraid to use force to defend herself. If a kid had the courage to approach her, he would be left with bloody gashes and bruises. However, because she had arrived at the orphanage unnaturally late, the other kids were not particularly fond of her. The girl spoke, looked and behaved differently. She was an outcast in every sense of the word.  
The air is hot, dry, suffocating, making breathing difficult, pushing hundreds of tiny needles down throats that radiate sharp pain deep from within chests. Dust is floating in the air, which creates a yellow veil that irritates eyes. The steady rumble of the truck engine is strangely relaxing and the junk lying in the back rattles whenever the tires bump against bigger rocks on the ground. There are no asphalt highways in Jakku. If there were, they are long gone under a thick layer of coarse sand. Tire tracks act as paths leading everywhere and nowhere. For miles, you see only flat lands with no sight of civilization. If you take the eastern route, you may notice canyons towering over the lowlands in the distance. A few wreckages are spread across the desert, rusted shells of what used to be cars, aeroplanes and motorcycles - remains of the once bright lively town. Not many from the Inner Rim remember that image.  
A new song is playing from the cassette player. It is quite quirky with its simple but catchy melody and funky guitar chords. The man singing it has a pleasant voice. It is rich, high-pitched, slightly thin. The image on the picture in the cassette box has faded away, the colours have gone faint, but the face of the singer is still visible. His features look exotic. Rey has never seen a face like his. The man had to be an off-worlder living in the northern cities. She really likes the song and has been listening to it for a couple of days. Generally, she replays the entire cassette many times before moving onto a new one. Music is not a luxury people in Jakku can afford so she enjoys every minute of melodies from the old age.  
Rey often comes across objects left in the wreckages that once belonged to the ones dwelling in this area. It is usually something small and rather insignificant, something you would not even glance at. One chilly evening the girl picked up a dirty ragdoll from a hut in the middle of nowhere. It smelled foul, she had to scrunch up her nose. Unsurprisingly, it was just a bundle of filthy rags tied with a string to resemble a humanoid figure. The doll still sits next to the girl's cot.  
Rey has also found books. Lots of novels, manuals and those strange children's books with drawings. Most of them look more like random paper scraps put together than actual volumes. Some pages are either torn or stained with an unknown substance, making deciphering the texts difficult. Discovering brand new words or phrases is fun. She has picked a few fancy sounding expressions, she likes how they roll off her tongue like silk. The manuals have given her all the information about the vehicles she has been discovering in the desert, everything about engines, fuel, oils and other machinery. Prints have been very helpful, providing her with detailed drawings and descriptions.  
The girl has stumbled upon some books today as well. They are lying on the passenger seat. Their covers are dirty with dust and the edges are tattered. It appears all of them are novels. Rey hopes they are not romances as she has been slowly getting sick of them. She will look through them later in the evening once she is done with work.  
As Niima Outpost is nearing closer and closer, the girl steps on the brakes and they make an irritating squicky sound. She shuts off the engine. There is ringing in her ears because the song has stopped playing, too. Without engine noise, it gets unnaturally quiet.  
Rey steps out the truck with the key in her sweaty palm and walks on burning sand toward the back of the car. She begins to unload the junk she put in woollen bags. She swings them across her back before finally approaching the shabby settlement.  
The whole area is closed. A metal chain link fence was placed around it to prevent the working scavengers from wandering off too far. To the right, there are stations where the parts are being cleaned. A thin piece of fabric serves as a poor excuse for protection from the sun rays. There are no chairs, people sit on the bare ground.  
In the middle, there is the main shack. It has been built with rusty metal sheets. It looks so miserable the girl thinks it may have been swept off the face of the earth during a sandstorm in the past. That is where the trading happens. Unkar Plutt, the junk boss, controls the whole process. He is a tall man with a bulky body that intimidates some people. He has a large nose and his mouth is frozen in a constant grimace. Much to Rey's amusement, Unkar is commonly called 'the blobfish' behind his back.  
To the left, there is the space for Unkar's vehicles. He placed them there for everyone to see. His ego could not possibly grow any bigger, but his vanity is not the sole reason for doing so. Perhaps he wanted to taunt the hopeless, to see if any of them would dare to steal.  
Rey has come across many nice engine parts, they look pretty and shiny, and they can be reused. This kind of junk is the most valuable. If you bring rubbish splattered with sticky oil, you will get a tiny part of a ration or leave hungry and angry. Some of the newbies would argue and beg relentlessly before being hauled away by the thugs just waiting for a brawl to take part in. Those fools never turn up and if they do, their faces are painted purple and green. Unfortunately, no amount of tears can get rid of those stains. Rey pities those people as they simply do not know better. They expect kindness or mercy, she is not sure, but it is a path leading to death.  
The girl marches proudly with her chin jutted out. Scrap metal in her bags clanging with her every step, making the others around snap their head and glare. She plops down at her station with a sigh of relief while she flexes her toes inside the shoes. The cleaning does not take much time because she is scrubbing so vigorously. The skin on the girl's bony hands becomes red and soon her fingers get sore, but the discomfort is worth it if she gets to eat this evening.  
It is not as stifling on the way back home. The sun has begun to set down, the air is blowing in her face causing a few hairs that have escaped the bun on the girl's head to tickle her cheeks. Rey is singing along to her new favourite song, the same one she played hours ago. Sweat is sticking uncomfortably to her thin white shirt, but the sight of the pile of rations lying next to her is enough to make her chapped lips to twitch into a tiny smile.


	2. Chance

Soft delicate sounds spreading like tiny water drops moving along with the wind reach her ears. They can be barely heard unless you focus and ignore the coyotes howling far in the background. They are tickling her eardrums pleasantly, gently caressing her skin with feathers. The wind chime hanging on one of the beams supporting the wretched roof is the source of these noises. It has probably been built from some tubes found in a wreckage, which are swaying along with the light breeze. It is a nice early morning and the sun is just about to start heating up the soil.  
Rey walks up the wooden stairs that make a creaking noise everytime you stand on them. The porch is covered with sand and it crunches under the girl's feet. She opens the door after pushing away the net one. This hut looks the same like every other one in Jakku. You can only live in some of them as the frequent sandstorms have targeted the buildings that may not be as sturdy. Those that survive the storms are often occupied by scavengers who live far from Niima Outpost. They do not have separate rooms except for a bathroom, which should be called a room with a toilet. Usually, to the right, there is a kitchen area with a stove if the person living there was lucky enough to acquire one. On the other side, there is a blanket or an old mattress on the floor acting as a bed. A sofa or a table is considered a luxury, let alone a dresser or a bathtub. Mrs Elena's house is not different, but it has a cosy feeling.  
The elder lady is quite eccentric. She is also lonely. Rey is pretty sure the woman has been dwelling on this dessert for many years. All of this time has obviously altered her personality. She has her little quirks that may make others feel uncomfortable, whereas Rey does not mind. The woman has lots of photographs in brown frames standing on crates and shelves. They all depict a young man with fair hair. There are some strange trinkets lying around along with the blankets the woman has knitted.  
Rey visiting Elena has become routine now. The girl has been coming to the woman's house to take a look at the generator, the clock, or the fan. Some days there was nothing to fix so Rey would then sit with Elena and just chat.   
Today is one of those days. As Rey enters the hut she is met with Elena sitting in one of her mismatched armchairs. There is a jug standing on a barrel between the chairs with a couple of shallow metal cups next to it. The woman stretches her thin lips in a half smile.  
"You know, I've heard some idiot crashed his car around the Sinking Fields," she mutters under her breath.   
"Really?" Rey answeres, excited. A thought about checking out that vehicle crosses her mind, but it quickly dies. It has probably been pulled into the sand and is now gone.  
The woman hummed while stirring the tea in her cup and the girl smiled. Nothing thrilling ever happens in Jakku. The news of a newcomer arriving in the town seems much more interesting to those living in the area than they would to an outsider. Although Rey does not care much for gossip she is the one to talk for the rest of her visit. The small talk seems to please the elder lady because she has closed her eyes and her expression looks serene. Suddenly, she reaches behind her to pick up a small bundle and an envelope. She hands them to Rey.   
"I have a favour to ask of you."  
The girl opens the package when she is in her truck, driving to Cratertown. It is a rather small loaf of light bread and half of a red fruit wrapped in cloth. She guesses the food is some kind of payment for taking the letter. She tears a piece of the bread and shoves it in her mouth with a satisfied sigh. She has not eaten since last evening. Those rations she received after bringing the junk to Unkar are hidden away in the box buried deep in the soil. The girl has only used one of them, she likes to save up her resources.  
After a while, she spots a shape on the road ahead of her. At first, it looks like roadkill, but it starts to move. It turns out to be a dog and it is trapped in a net, trying to free itself. She is so focused on the animal as she presses on the brakes, she does not notice a man running onto the road. His body slams against the hood and Rey stops the car abruptly. The man looks up with a terrified face.  
With a wildly beating heart, Rey gets out of the truck. The guy seems to be fine so she goes to kneel next to the dog. It starts to bark loudly at the man but calms down when Rey touches its neck gently.  
"Would you stop-- barking at me?" the man manages to say breathlessly.  
Rey frees the poor creature from the net and it thankes her by licking her hand. The girl turns to the guy. He has propped his palms on his knees while attempting to catch his breath. His dark skin is wet with sweat. He is wearing a black turtleneck and a brown leather jacket. Definitely an off-worlder, she thinks amused.  
"Are you alright?" she finally asks.  
He straightens his body. "Yeah, uh, I'm fine. Sorry about--," he points his thumb at her truck.  
The girl cannot help but lift the corners of her mouth up at the sight of the guy's genuine apologetic expression. She pets the dogs head once again before standing up. It is growling while looking at the man and he shifts uncomfortably.  
"Need a lift?" He nods so she moves toward her car, the dog following her closely. "What's your name?"  
The guy blinks, frowning. "Uh, FN-- Finn. I'm--I'm Finn."  
"I'm Rey," she replies softly.  
They sit quietly as the car moves closer to Cratertown. Finn's posture is stiff. He is looking out of the window with his chin in his hand and his left leg is shaking. He is tense for whatever reason. The girl suspects it might have something to do with the fact that she has almost run him over. Without much protest, the dog has managed to squeeze itself between the driver's and passenger's seat. It is now happily breathing with its mouth open. His golden yellow fur is turning messy because of the wind.  
Rey is not sure if she should say something. Finn is obviously not in the mood to have a conversation. Even if he answers her, she figures he would not say much, maybe mumble something inaudible half-heartedly. Still, Rey is curious and cannot help herself so she finally speaks up.  
"So, you got raided by a Teedo? He just wanted some parts. They have no respect for anyone."  
"Huh?"  
"Your dog. It was trapped in a net." Finn sent her a confused look. "It is yours, right?"  
"Well-- Kind of. Not really."  
Rey let out a quiet resigned sigh. This man is a riddle. He is undoubtedly not just another off-worlder passing by. He does not look like a typical smuggler, he is not a soldier either. Maybe he has got tangled up in a gang war? Either way, Finn did not come to Jakku out of his own will.  
He clears his throat. "It's my friend's. We got separated so I'm taking care of it."  
The dog growls, but he ignores it and continues to speak. His voice does not waver with a hint of uncertainty this time. He looks sombre, his features are twisted with regret and something else the girl cannot pinpoint. Thoughtfulness, perhaps?  
"We were on a trip, drank too much. I ended up in some bar alone."  
"A trip to Jakku?" Rey asks with a hint of amusement in her voice. "That's an interesting destination."  
"N--No, no. We weren't going to Jakku," he stutters. "We were only passing by. You know, from Nevada."  
He averts his eyes and the conversation ends. They arrive in the town. It is very small and it should not be called a town, really. Cratertown is more of a settlement of a few buildings, which were carved in stone. They are joined together, forming a huge block with tiny holes acting as windows and entrances. There is a market where you can trade goods for food, a well with clean water and Ergel's bar. Whoever wants to drink some fine southern alcohol goes there. The only evidence that technology was once present here is a phone booth. No one actually uses it because there is simply nobody to pick up the phone. It also requires coins and those are extinct in this part of the world.  
Finn is looking around with a frown. He wipes his forehead with the back of his hand just to feel more sweat drip onto his eyelids. He blinks a few times, huffing. The man has never seen a place this miserable. Everything is covered in sand, there is no greenery. The cruel sun rays have been slowly but surely killing every sign of life here. Even the people look apathetic like wooden dolls that move stiffly with their limbs attached to strings.  
"I'll be over there if you need anything," Rey states, jerking her head backwards. "The phone is around the corner--yeah, there. Just behind that stand."  
The girl notes with a warm smile that the dog has picked to follow her. There is a heavy feeling in her chest that she cannot ignore. She looks back and sees Finn's figure become smaller and smaller until it disappears behind a building. He is truly a strange man with a strange story.  
The post, as it is commonly called, is a person, not a location. Specifically, it is a man with a speeder. He comes to Jakku and other towns in the area once a month. Anyone who wants to send a letter comes to him. The man is standing next to his vehicle just like he always does with his arms crossed over his chest. He is given the envelope and the fruit from Elena, and that is it.  
The dog and Rey watch the man drive away. She has knelt next to it started caressing its head. The animal shakes its fur in response causing her to laugh quietly. She has only seen canines in the books she was able to acquire from damaged houses. The girl hears a jingle. Deeply hidden in the dog's fur, underneath the bandana there is a grey collar with a name tag.  
"You're called Bebe?" she asks. "It's too bad you have to leave so soon."  
The dog barks.   
"I know. I like you, too," she says back. "You're not very fond of Finn, are you?"  
Bebe makes a sound again, but it is not directed at her. He is looking at something behind her. Suddenly, it jumps up and runs off. Rey turns around sharply, calling after the creature. She notices what has made the dog so angry in the first place only after getting up.  
It is Finn. He is walking backwards with his arms up as if he is surrendering. Then a couple of men appear from behind a builder. One of them is pointing a machete at Finn while yelling something in rage. Rey is about to run, but she freezes. Her muscles are tense and it is hard to stay unmoving. Her lungs are burning from the lack of oxygen and her legs are shaking uncontrollably. She hears the sand crunching again, a pair of feet shuffling.  
The first blow hits the person behind her in the thigh. The knife Rey has pulled from its sheath is stuck in the man's leg and he cries out in pain. He tries to grab her arm, but she has already turned around. The girl's foot forcefully kicks him in the injured leg, causing him to fall to the ground. Rey quickly moves to stand behind the man to wrap her arm around his sweaty dirty neck. He begins to claw at her skin, leaving crimson marks with his nails. She sinks her teeth into his hand and he lets go. When the thug sags in her hold, Rey notices a faded tattoo on his palm. Gang members usually have those.   
"Hey, are you alright? Oh--okay. You're fine."  
"What the hell was that?" The man drops down onto the soil face down. "Who are you?"  
"Woah, listen! I don't know who these guys are either!" Finn shrugs. His nose is bloody. "They must've followed me or--"  
"Who are you?" Rey repeats dryly, picking up her knife.  
Finn opens his mouth, but he says nothing. His shoulders sag and defeat marks his round face. Rey can almost hear him thinking, 'I want to tell you, but I can't'. She scoffs and turns on her heel. The skin on her arm is stinging, but she ignores the unpleasant sensation. The girl is walking toward her truck hurriedly to get away from the mysterious man as quick as possible. She is cursing at him, her kindness, Elena, the emptiness in her stomach and dryness in her throat. Rey can hear Finn yelling and Bebe barking. He eventually catches up with her.  
"Rey! I'm not a bad guy, alright? I've just had a really bad day!" he croaks. "I--I just need help and preferably a glass of water. Yeah?"  
Rey pretends he is not there.  
"And--and that stupid phone doesn't work! The lady said--"  
She turns around and stalks toward him in a few quick strides. Bebe is growling. She can feel his nose poking her leg. Finn's eyes glance at the knife she is holding tightly.  
"Which lady?" she hisses.  
He shrugs. "You know, the one with red hair?"  
No one is really paying attention to either of them. The thug that has attacked Rey is still lying on the ground unconscious, the other two are crawling toward the rock caves. A couple of women wearing dark rags over their heads are still carrying wooden barrels filled with water from the well, a young boy is drawing shapes onto the sand, a tall man is smoking a cigarette while picking at his nails. Soon, some scrawny hobo will come out of his hiding to search the thug's body like a starving animal ready to tear apart the juicy flesh of its victim.


	3. Revelation

The Resistance was formed as a small military force to combat the First Order in 2012 from the shambles of the New Republic's military. With the Civil War nearing the end, the final battle took place in Jakku. After the Empire's defeat, a peace treaty called the Galactic Concordance was signed, seemingly ending the cruel war. Soon, the New Republic has carried out the demilitarization of its troops. This angered and deeply worried some of the members of the Senate, who have created their own organisation in order to unravel the dirty schemes of the once great Empire and to get rid of the government's childish naivety and pacifistic views. The conflict was not over as much as people wanted it to be. Decades of terror have caused everyone to crave peace in any form possible.  
Rey is too young to remember the horrors in the reign of the Emperor, but there are quite a lot of people who were there to witness the bloodshed, the sudden disappearances, the orphans crying for their mothers. Some might even say they cannot recall if there was ever a peaceful period to begin with.   
Politics have never interested Rey much so not taking a side in the conflict as old as the world feels secure. Her life can be described as rather uneventful and monotonous, but subsequently safe and Finn ruined it all when he ran onto the road so carelessly.  
He is now kneeling on the gravel with his face stuck in a bowl filled with water, lapping at the liquid hungrily. It is probably filled with dirt and sand, but he pays it no mind. He is still wearing the leather jacket for some reason. It is hanging loosely over his broad shoulders, exposing the dirty black turtleneck.  
Bebe is sitting on the porch quietly, heavily breathing. Its beautiful golden fur shines brightly in the sun. The orange bandana that is wrapped around its neck is made of smooth delicate fabric. The dog has to be of the expensive kind. You can only see such luxurious breeds in the northern regions. It looks well taken care of so whoever is its actual owner, he must really care about the animal.  
"Oh, Maker!" Finn groans loudly.  
The man has turned to lie on his back with his limbs stretched out. He then slowly sits up and looks at Rey with such adoration she has to look away. She is not used to being in contact with others who do not want to either rob or kill her.  
"So, you live here, huh?" he prompts. "Looks nice. Not that I've seen many houses like that. You've got a cool truck and--"  
The girl's stern gaze is saying, 'don't push it'. Finn gets quiet and an uncomfortable silence starts to hang in the air. He purses his full lips, his eyes are darting between her and some random spot to the right.  
"I just want to thank you, y'know, for helping and not stabbing me."  
"It has crossed my mind."  
The man's eyes widen comically for a second as he is taken aback by her bluntness. She does not give him an opportunity to answer and says, "You are supposed to tell me why you're here."  
Finn stands up with a grunt, patting his thighs to get rid of dust.   
"This jacket, it belonged to Poe Dameron. He was captured by the First Order", he shuffles his feet on the sand. "I helped him escape but our car crashed."  
So their vehicle was the one Elena talked about. Anything that comes close to the Sinking Fields perishes. People say that if you stay still, you will survive. It is not true. You will still be pulled down, no matter how much you struggle. Gangs use that to their advantage. They dump corpses there to destroy any evidence of their dirty deeds.  
Finn's young face shows the same somberness from before when he was talking about that friend of his. The name Dameron does not tell her anything. She reckons he must be one of those rebelling folk. The girl has heard stories about brave fighters and that is all they shall remain - tales for children, silly hearsay.  
"I don't know if Poe made it," the man finally mutters.  
As if it understood his words, Bebe whimpers, dejected. The animal enters the house slowly with its head hanging low. Rey watches the dog until it disappears inside the hut. Now, she feels more confident as she is closer to figuring out who Finn really is.  
"So you're with the Resistance?"  
Almost in an instant, the man's expression brightens up as he vigorously nods. The girl is not sure why he looks so relieved. She quickly scans him with her eyes once again and her lips curl up. He does not exactly look like one to actively battle oppressing regimes or to revolt against an established ruler. People who rebel against Unkar Plutt have that sparkle in their eyes, that flame that separates them from the rest. They know they have got nothing to lose. Finn's eyes lack that kind of spark.  
Why would Elena want Rey to meet a Rebel? Was she a part of that organisation? Could she not help Finn so she sent him to Rey? If the man stumbled upon anyone else on that road, he would not find help. Just like the girl, people of Jakku look only after themselves, their survival is the most important. Rey is not able to do much for him. She could drive him to the nearest city the next morning and come back just in time to go to Unkar with the parts.  
The sun is beginning to set, causing the sky to turn crimson and pink. It now matches the ground's orange hue. The area is quiet, not even the coyotes can be heard, but soon the winds will come to haunt the dwellers of this land and cover everything with sand.  
Reluctantly, Rey gets up and walks towards her truck. Cleaning up after the sandstorms is a tedious job so she covers the car every night with a big blue plastic mat. Then she goes inside the house. The girl places a grey blanket on the floor and puts a long thin piece of fabric over it. She hears Finn's heavy steps. He is looking around with curiosity. He has never seen a hut like this as he is from the northern part of the country. Rey moves past him to lock the door.   
Finally, his eyes land on her. The man's features soften and his lips seem to be forming a tiny smile. He does not say anything. Rey is not sure why he is gawing at her like this. It has never happened to her before, she has never been given so much attention from anyone. The girl gets uncomfortable so she focuses on setting up the small eating space. It consists of a portable cooker standing on a metal crate, an old burned pot and an electric lantern that illuminates the room with its blue light.   
Finn sits next to her on the floor. There are no chairs. Rey offers him a piece of stale bread and some watery soup.   
"Was that whole story you told me a lie?" Rey asks softly.  
"N--No, of course not!" he mumbles with his mouth full. "Poe got sent to Tuanul on his own. Was supposed to be a quick little trip but something went wrong. The whole place got sacked."  
Finn notices the girl's horrified expression. Tuanul is, or was, located hundreds of miles away from Jakku, built on top of a massive rock mesa near the Kelvin Ravine. The villagers were peaceful and strong in faith. They never bothered anyone.  
"You know the rest of it," the man trails off.  
The wind is howling outside but Rey can only hear dozens of voices calling out with pain and desperation. With the sun gone, it is quite chilly inside the hut and she shivers but it is not because of the cold. Rey suddenly wishes she has never gone to Elena's.


	4. Escape

Something is wrong.  
Rey is awoken abruptly by a sound from the outside. She lifts her eyelids and blinks a few times. The girl still feels dizzy from sleep. She passed out once the light started to peek from behind the shutters after waking up from another nightmare. It was the same one from the nights before.  
There are an ocean and an island. The water's colour is deep blue, its surface being disturbed by wind, resulting in thousands of ripples. It spreads vastly, seemingly having no end and no beginning. The island is small. It has a lot of greenery among cliffs and cavities. Thick mist hangs over the area. Sometimes a low rumbling of a thunder echoes in the distance.  
The dream always ends with a dark-clad figure looming over her. She tries to get away, crawl, run but it is pointless. A sense of dread washes over her as the person gets closer and closer. The girl has no idea who it is but the figure oozes pure darkness. It makes her sick.  
Fighting the aching in her bones, Rey listens closely. She can hear engine noise and a couple of whispering voices. They are getting closer so Rey ignores the throbbing in her head and soundlessly slips from under her blanket. Bebe is already awake. It is growling quietly, looking at the door.   
The girl is aware why the men outside are here. She could leave Finn, should leave him, but she cannot do it.  
He is lying on his side, his back to her. His chest rises steadily, soft snores are coming out of his mouth. Rey envies him. The man looks so peaceful.  
She almost feels bad when she shakes his shoulder forcefully. He stirs awake, snapping back to reality abruptly. The man looks at her, confused, wanting to say something but Rey puts a finger to her chapped lips.  
The voices are really close now. If they make a run for the back door, they may be able to flee with her truck.   
Rey puts on her boots without tying the laces and Finn grabs his jacket. They manage to get to the door and slip outside, unnoticed. The Rebel is already by her truck, trying to remove the mat covering the car as quietly as possible. The girl is standing still in the doorway. She is looking at the place she has spent almost all of her life in with a beating heart. Even though she should be fleeing from the Troopers, even though she is in danger, Rey is unable to take a single step.   
She remembers what the hut looked like when she first saw it. It was a barely standing straight shanty, surrounded by piles of trash and hyenas. The girl found it after the orphanage had been officially closed. Dozens of children lost the roof under their heads, forcing them to fend for themselves in the cruel desert. Rey was one of them. Eventually, she stumbled upon Unkar Plutt and was able to make the small house seem even tiniest bit homely.  
To the left, there is the cot she has been sleeping on for years now. It consists of a dirty old mattress, a flimsy pillow and a scratchy blanket. Whenever she woke up, she would shiver from the sharp pain prickling her spine and wipe her wet cheeks. The wall over it has marks scratched onto its surface, thousand tiny lines adorning the wood. On the other side, there is the eating space where she would consume her portions. There is also the bathroom, or rather just a metal basin next to a rack. Under the wood panels lies the box with the portions she has been so conservatively using. All of the trinkets she has found so far are placed on small shelves and crates, including her doll made from rags and the spinebarrel flower. It is Finn's voice that tears her away from the memories.   
"Rey!" he whispers her name, waving. Bebe is by his side.  
No longer caring about being quiet, the scavenger spins around and starts to run. She is able to spot one of the troopers rounding up the corner out of the corner of her eye. She jumps into the car and immediately starts up the engine. The noise causes both troopers to run over with their weapons drawn and start shooting at the scavenger and rebel. A few of the bullets hit the truck. The back window shatters, sending glass shards flying all over the seat. Some of them graze Rey's neck and shoulders. She stomps her foot on the gas pedal, barely giving Finn any time to settle in his seat, but the old vehicle protests by making a loud whirring sound. Eventually, they take off, leaving a vail of dust behind them. The black SUV soon appears in the rear-view mirror.   
"Can't this thing go a little faster?!"  
"It's a 40-year-old pick-up!"  
The troopers are still shooting at them. A couple of the bullets brush the sides of the truck. Rey grips the steering wheel tightly and with a single glance to the right, she jerks it violently, forcing the car to take a sharp turn. Finn grunts as they are thrown around. They are off the path now, driving on the rocky soil.  
They are approaching Niima Outpost. Its shabby structures are standing out against the pale sky. It is still early so the area is pretty much empty. A few scavengers are standing in the line to Unkar Plutt and sitting in the cleaning stations, scrubbing their parts. Only the ones who have huge debts are up this early.  
Rey is forced to halt when the engine groans, giving up completely. It has lasted way longer than expected, anyway. The SUV is getting closer and closer and the girl looks around, panicked. They have nowhere to run. There are only desert lowlands before them, the nearest settlement is hundreds of miles away from Jakku.  
"What's going on?"  
"I think the engine is done."  
It turns out Rey is right. When she gets out of the truck, she notices a dark trail that has been left by the oil seeping from one of the holes caused by the troopers. She immediately spots an almost brand new vehicle. It looks like one of the ones used by the New Order peacekeepers. It has thick tyres and what seems like armour plates attached to the sides.  
"There!" the girl points with her finger. "We can take that one!"  
Suddenly, the vehicle is engulfed in crimson flames. The explosion is so huge that it sends Rey and Finn at least a few feet backwards. The girl lands on her back and hits her head on the ground. Her ears are ringing thanks to the impact of her fall. She coughs, trying to get rid of the smoke and dust from her lungs. Panic takes over her body and mind.   
Out of nowhere, the girl feels pressure on her right arm. Finns kneels by her side with concern painted all over his battered face. Blood is seeping out of the wound on his upper arm, staining the leather jacket he is wearing.  
"Rey, are you alright?" The man's voice echoes in her head painfully.  
The girl's heart skips a bit at his words. She is not used to someone being concerned for her well-being. She has been alone ever since she was left in Jakku. Trust is not a virtue known to the dwellers of the desert town. Only the hopeless and naive fall for the illusion of compassion, leading to their tragic demise.  
Rey is pulled to her feet by Finn and they start running right away, dodging bullets. The rebel is holding onto her hand the whole time.  
"How about that one?" he asks. They are moving toward a lorry standing to the side.  
"It's garbage!" She hears another bullet hit the ground. "But it'll do!"  
The scavenger dives under the dashboard and yanks the plastic cover with her small knife. The old models' security measures are nearly nonexistent. She is thankful for that. Under different circumstances, she might have been electrocuted before even touching anything. She has seen this happen before.  
The cover comes off easily. The girl grabs the cables to rip them out of the small compartment under the steering wheel. Her teeth sink into the plastic over the cables.  
"Please, tell me it's working!" Finn's panicked voice calls out.  
Her shaky hands bind the wires of the battery and ignition. The dash light up right away and so do the headlamps. The engine starts up with a loud rattle after she has touched the tangled wires with the green one. The girl then revs the engine a few times. She cranks the wheel hard to the side, trying to twist it free and resulting in breaking the steering lock. Again, it would not be as easy with a newer model. The scavenger stomping on the gas pedal causes the lorry to finally move forward.  
The most surprising thing is, that the troopers stop firing at them. Rey looks in the quarter glass and realises they are not following them either. Even though she should be feeling nothing but relief, but something close to dread clogs up her throat. On the other hand, Finn does not appear to feel the same way as the scavenger. He lets out a strangled laugh, which earns him a glare from the girl.  
Soon, they are passing by canyons, wreckages and abandoned homes. Rey is not sure how long she has been driving, but she can feel the symptoms of fatigue now. The girl has not eaten or drunk since last evening, her whole body is sore from the blast earlier and the heat is unbearable. Sweat is dripping down her face so she has to blink rapidly.  
The last thing Rey sees before she falls unconscious is the sun setting down.


	5. Disappointment

It is dark.  
A wave of pain hits his body. He groans quietly, cursing those damned troopers. The wound on his arm is still bleeding but not as much. It stings when he shifts his shoulder, causing a hissing sound to escape his dry lips. Finn looks at the gash with a grimace. It seems the bullet went through the flesh. That's good, he thinks, strangely relieved.  
Bebe is lying quietly on his left. It is looking at him with its big chocolate eyes. The man is glad the animal has not been harmed and he pets its head gently.  
Then he turns his attention to Rey. The man frowns because she just sits there unmoving. Her neck is twisted to the side so he cannot see her face. He sits up to touch her shoulder but she does not stir. With tenderness he has never thought he could ever be able to feel, Finn cradles the girl's face in his clammy hands. He traces her delicate cheeks with his thumbs whilst whispering her name.  
The deserter never meant for any of this to happen. First, he lost Poe and now it could happen to Rey. He endangered her, forced her to abandon her home and, most of all, lied to her. The man would not forgive himself if she got hurt. His emotions were all over the place. Sadly, he has never cared for anyone, or more precisely, he has never had anyone to look after. Slip did not count as a friend or even an acquaintance.  
Rey's brows furrow as she slowly awakens so Finn lets his eyes sweep the area they are currently in. He sees nothing but land stretching out around them although there is a small building resembling a bar. It is unnaturally quiet as well. The man begins wondering how they are going to outrun the First Order. It is practically impossible. They have taken over many states and their soldiers and spies are almost everywhere. The young couple could get some fake papers, travel with a troupe, lie low for a while. The north sounds appealing.  
Distracted by the stillness of the desert, Finn does not notice the scavenger slipping out of the vehicle almost soundlessly with Bebe right behind her. The man scrambles out of his seat to catch up with her.   
"Hey, what are you doing?" he yells. "We need to figure things out-- where we'll go next!"  
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Rey whispers, her figure bent in half. She has perched her hands on her knees.  
Finn frowns. For just a second, hurt appears on his round face. "What are you talking about?"  
"I'm going back to Jakku."  
The man puts his arms up in the air and lets them fall to his sides with a loud clap. He is annoyed now. Why does she not understand that Jakku is compromised? With the troopers swarming that place? It will be a battlefield. Just like Tuanul and countless villages before.  
"Why does everyone want to go back to Jakku?"  
The girl ignores his outburst and starts walking with a slight limp in the direction which they came from. She has wrapped her arms around her small frame and it becomes smaller and smaller until Finn springs up. He forcefully yanks her arm back so that she turns him.   
"You can't go back there!" he takes the scavenger's hand in his. "It's dangerous!"  
Understandably, Rey flinches at his touch. She takes a step back. Her hair is all messy, locks stuck to her forehead and cheeks, and he has an irresistible urge to smooth it out. The girl tries to free herself from his grip, the man can hear a hushed 'let me go!' leave her lips, but he holds onto her even tighter. The reason for this is that two figures are slowly approaching the young couple. They are both males.  
One of them looks old. He has grey hair that is falling onto his forehead and stubble. His skin has been decorated with wrinkles in the corners of his green eyes and lips due to years of sorrows. His expression is stern. The man is wearing a simple outfit - a nerf-leather jacket, a white shirt underneath it, dark trousers and long boots. A belt with a metal latch adorns his waist. A holster for a blaster is attached to his right leg. It is now empty as he is holding the pistol in his hand, pointing it at the young couple. It is an old BlasTech model with the DL-44 design manufactured before the Civil War.  
The other one looks different. He towers over his companion but does not look too intimidating. His body is not proportional, his legs and arms are too long, which makes him appear awkward. The lanky stranger has long hair that reaches his wide shoulders and a thick beard. His clothing is similar to his friend's. He has a bandolier slung over his arm with a carry-pouch fastened to it. A bowcaster is in his hand.  
Finn has raised his arms up as a sign of surrender but now he grabs Rey's tank top so that she can stand behind him. Even though the girl looks confused, she moves away.  
"You wanna tell me why the hell you have my truck?" the smaller one growls out.  
"I stole it from Unkar Plutt," Rey mutters, much to Finn's dismay.   
"You can take the truck. Just let us go," the young man blurts out before the girl behind him gets them in trouble.  
The deserter is sweating profusely and not taking his eyes off the males with weapons. He is shielding Rey with his body, which makes the greying man's lips twitch in a smirk. He has noticed Finn's bloody arm. Eventually, he gestures to his shaggy friend to put his bowcaster down. The atmosphere is not as tense anymore.  
"We should've checked the Eastern Reaches," the greying man mumbled and his shaggy companion grunted in response. "Well, I guess this is the day Han Solo finally stole the Millenium Falcon back."  
Rey gasps in surprise. She grips Finn's arm tightly in excitement, oblivious to the young man's pained gasp. She has heard so many stories about the Falcon, Han, the deeds he did during the War, and he is standing right in front of her! Her exhausted body feels lighter now that adrenaline is flowing through her veins again, albeit for a different reason.  
"You're Han Solo?" the girl exclaims.  
"Yes, that's what I just said."  
"Wasn't he a war hero?" Finn asks her, curious.  
The smuggler has pure awe plastered on her tanned face and her green eyes sparkling. Han has moved closer to the lorry. He is caressing it with utmost adoration. His lips form a thin line and the moment passes when he turns to the young couple. Bebe has been quiet this whole time, sitting by Finn's leg, but now it starts growling. Han's friend makes a displeased sound. Rather reluctantly, Han takes a few steps back from the Falcon and points to the horizon behind Rey and Finn.   
"You see that? It's Arlington. You'll be able to go back wherever it is you spawned from."  
Just as he said, there is a tiny outline of a city surrounded by the faint glow of first sun rays and dozens of lights scattered like fireflies. Rey frowns. Is he trying to get rid of them? She thought she would be able to help the young rebel by herself but now that Han Solo himself has appeared, she has to do something.   
So, Rey steps forward, passing her worried companion, and hopes she looks confident enough. "We need your help," she states the obvious.  
Han scoffs. "What you need to do is go before I change my mind."  
"Finn is from the Resistance! He has to get back to their base!"  
The young man curses under his breath. He has been getting away with his lies with Rey for a while but with Han? The old man was staring at him now, making the deserter rather uncomfortable. His heart is beating fast. Solo does not appear to be impressed so he turns to Rey once again.   
"And who're you? His spokesperson?" He shakes his head. "It don't matter. You gotta go."  
Han and his shaggy friend start hauling their stuff from the vehicle they seemed to have used previously into the lorry. They are ignoring Rey's disappointed face.  
"C'mon," Finn mutters to the girl, putting his palm on her shoulder. "We may make it before noon if we take off now."  
The girl watches the ex-war hero while bitterly swallowing her pride as the surprisingly soft material of the rebel's leather jacket slides onto her back. Eventually, Rey and Finn begin walking toward Arlington. Their pace is slow as he is wounded. They are both very tired, having been on their feet since the sunrise without much rest. The scavenger still needs to go back home and confront Elena. As soon as the rebel leaves for his base, she will catch a ride to Jakku.


	6. Trouble

Finn was right. They arrive in Arlington when the sun is scorching their backs.   
Rey has been sneaking glances at the rebel by her side. She is exhausted and starving but she can take it. The girl has lived in Jakku for almost a decade and she has seen people die on the curb, their bodies morbidly twisted. Some of them looked as if they were in deep slumber. That is why a few of the local gangs have started to pick random places to lie down, playing dead and wait for a clueless fool who may have thought they found another corpse to loot. They would get their stomachs cut open before being able to realise something was off. People got smarter and the trend eventually died. Rey does not want anything like that to happen to Finn.  
Arlington does not look much different than other cities in this part of Arizona. Rows of buildings on the opposite sides of the road with little greenery here and there. The canyons are towering over the houses as if protecting the city like a loving mother. There two main things that distinguish bigger cities from the other settlements are asphalt roads and tall buildings made of brick. Some of them have small awnings that lay shadows on the ground.   
Rey sees a spot like this and immediately walks towards it. Finn drops on the ground next to her, groaning loudly. They sit in silence, save for Bebe's noisy breathing, for what seems like an eternity before the young man props himself on his elbows, searching for something with his eyes. When he finds it, he lets out a hoarse laugh and pats Rey's knee. He then points to a tap embedded in the soil.   
"Look, Rey! Water!"  
Bebe goes with Finn with its head hanging low but Rey lags behind. The man turns on the tap, laughing cheerfully. He cups his palms to form a dish for water and puts them in front of Bebe's snout. His offer is met with great enthusiasm. The dog starts lapping at the clear liquid gratefully.  
The scavenger gets up on her sore feet, grabs the jacket she has taken off due to heat and slowly approaches her comrades. Once Bebe feels satisfied, Finns turns to her. She drops to her knees and greedily drinks from the rebel's hands. He is the last one to quench his thirst.  
Now, the question is - where do they go?  
Rey does not feel as dizzy but her legs are shaking a bit. She also does not notice a speeder cruising down the street so Finn yanks her backwards by her elbow. She leans onto his chest.  
"There's a food joint," he points to a building. It has an outside eating area where several costumers are consuming their meals. "Maybe those guys will know something."  
She knows he is desperately searching for a way to make their situation better. They will leave Arizona only if some good samaritan offers them a ride. That option is very unlikely to happen. Nevertheless, Rey lets Finn lead her to a wooden bench across the restaurant. He tells her to stay with Bebe while he talks to those eating men.   
After a moment, the scavenger spots a group of males standing near the food joint at the car park. They are obnoxious and loud, looking similar to the desert thugs. Sleazy scoundrels who will not hesitate to do anything for some coin.   
One of them notices her staring so the girl quickly averts her eyes. Unfortunately, he approaches her.  
"Hey there, girlie. What's a pretty little thing like you doin' here?"  
She forces herself to look at her hands folded on her lap. There is dirt under her fingernails. He should take a hint and leave if she ignores him long enough. It is fine if he does not. She can take care of herself.  
"That's a nice dog," he continues after crouching down.   
It is clear the damn nerf herder is not going to back off. Rey gets up to walk away but before she can even take a step, he grabs her roughly. His friends have circled Finn, too.   
"Hey, don't touch her!" the young rebel yells.  
As the girl looks up at the thug's face, she sees everything she despises. His dirty face is twisted in a smug smirk showing off his yellow teeth. His white-hot touch is burning her skin but she is too tired to free herself from his grip.  
"What's going on here?"  
A middle-aged man is standing near a vehicle. He is rather tall and well-built. His hair has started to turn grey. Judging from his outfit, the man is a police officer. The uniform is dark navy and without a single crease. A shiny badge is pinned to his chest, blindingly bright like a beacon. It is painfully obvious that the man does not want to be here, but his hand on the holster on his hip says he will not hesitate to use force.  
He sighs deeply. "Let her go, Varr'en."  
The thug does as he is told. Finn is by Rey's side in an instant. They both take a few steps backwards, trying to get as far away from the guy as possible. Eventually, Bebe joins them while growling.   
Surprisingly enough, the police officer seems to have some degree of authority. He is towering over the thug. In the past, there must have been a confrontation like this between these two men. The thug, who was so confident just second before, is now cowering in shame. Rey has never seen anything like that. It is usually stormtroopers that bully the desert dwellers. Thankfully, she was spared that treatment because she was under Unkar's protection. No one would touch the girl as long as she worked for him. Others were not as lucky.  
"Get outta here before I fine you again."  
The thugs leave wordlessly. Rey hears her companion exhale with relief. For some odd reason, the young scavenger feels sympathetic towards the rebel. He should not be here in the first place, in this Maker forgotten land, where his friend died. She does not know what his mission is but wants to make sure he at least gets to the Rebellion base.  
"You kids not local?" the officer asks the couple.  
Rey shakes her head. "N--no, no. I'm from Jakku," she admits hesitantly.  
"Jakku, huh?" he says gruffly. Distaste is evident in his voice.  
Finn huffs in annoyance. In a gesture of comfort, Rey squeezes his clammy hand tightly. There is no point in arguing with the man.   
The answer Rey has given him seems to be unsatisfactory so the officer digs deeper.  
"Jakku is a long way from here," he notes. "What're you doing out here?"  
"Just getting my friend back home."  
The man nods slowly. He then squints and bites inside of his cheek, deep in thought. "You got any papers?  
They do not and the man mumbles something that sounds a lot like 'you gotta come with me'. The girl is not sure about Finn but she has never owned any type of identification documents. Those are simply not needed. Everyone knows everyone, whether it is by face or by name. Rey knew a man with an ID once. It seemed like something out of this world - a piece of plastic with all of his information printed on it. When she looked at the photo on the card, it looked as if another person was depicted on it. The girl saw a handsome boy with a recruit cut, whereas the man that was in front of her resembled a death itself. She wanted to ask the man about it but he died shortly after, leaving her without any answers. Rey kept the ID for herself after burying him. From that day on, she has thought of it as a remnant of the colourful past.  
The memory gives the scavenger no comfort as she is being led to the officer's car. She just wishes Finn did not look so guilty.


	7. Joy

‘It is the same island’, Rey notes as she carefully walks down the stone steps.   
Gentle wind tickles her neck and cheeks, gently enveloping her with its salty smell while the sweet hum of the ocean’s waves hitting the shore soothes her rapidly beating heart. She wonders how is it possible for her to know what the water looks, smells, and sounds like - how she is able to imagine such beautiful scenery without ever leaving Jakku. Is it her subconscious showing her these images, a place full of lush greenery and thriving with life, begging to be explored?  
The young scavenger does not have a lot of time to ponder as the tumultuous black canvas above her gets illuminated sharply by a lightning flash. It seems Thor has decided to grace her with a glimpse of his journey across the sky in his chariot, leaving a deafening rumble behind.  
Rey does not feel anxious, unlike many times before. On the contrary, she is relaxed, at ease. That threatening black character is nowhere in sight. It is strangely relieving, as if a lot of weight has been removed from her shoulders, allowing her to deeply breathe in the island’s fresh air. There is something more though – a bizzare feeling of anticipation.  
Her eyes scan her surroundings and they settle on a giant tree behind her enveloped in thick fog. Its wide trunk supports the barren crown and unnaturally twisted branches. The one in the middle is straight and long, and it is surrounded by shorter ones that are curled up. They resemble a strange ornament one would normally see sitting on a noble’s head. It is where she has come from – the steps lead back to the tree.  
A faint whisper reaches her ears. Whoever has chosen to speak to the girl, they want her attention badly. Her name is being spoken softly over and over again, its tone getting more and more desperate. She has no clue where the person is as the voice is seemingly coming from everywhere at once. Suddenly, dead silence falls upon her and the island. It feels as if her ears were clogged. Disoriented, the young girl presses her hands against her head.  
There is a figure standing on the edge of a cliff, its back facing her. She sees it clearly once facing the beach. There it is again – that hopefulness. Rey’s chest swells up, her heart skips a beat, and she finds herself taking a tentative step forward. The mysterious person vanishes without a trace under the heavy waves of the waters surrounding the island as if it was never there in the first place. The scavenger gasps, disappointed, but there is not much time for her to grieve because the ocean swallows her up just like the dark figure a few seconds ago.   
When Rey opens her eyes, she is back in the cell that resembles a cage she was put in hours ago. There are metal bars all around save for the wall behind the girl, which she is leaning onto. With some difficulty, the girl shifts her sore body on the cold uncomfortable bunk. As soon as she properly sits up, Bebe lets out a whimper. The sound causes Finn to stop walking around in circles.  
The couple exchange weak smiles. No words are really needed in the moment so Rey scoots over to her right and pats the space next to her. The young man accepts her invitation almost immidately. He lets the girl rest on his good arm and holds his breath when her head softly lands on his shoulder. They sit in silence for a while, ignoring the commotion in other cells and further in the police station.  
“I thought you were mad at me,” Finn decides to speak up.  
“I am.”  
Technically, this is not true. Not anymore, at least. Rey needed something, someone to loathe for what had happened to her and not only her. In the beginning, it was easy to blame the young rebel. It was him who caused those thugs to attack her at Niima Outpost, he was the reason she had to abandon her home. Not to mention his involvement in the attack on Tuanul. Had he and his friend never arrived there to stir trouble in the name of establishing propaganda, the forces of the First Order would have never intervened. All those people wanted to do was to live a simple life worshipping their gods. They did not deserve to meet their demise in such a morbid manner.  
Then it dawned on her that Finn had no clue the events would turn out the way they did. He was just obeying orders given by the Resistance, and whether those were right or wrong is not up to her to decide.   
Rey starts to doze off again and her thoughts go in a different direction.   
Apparently, there has been a giant collision near Arlington. Nobody knows how it happened, but a cargo train got derailed and rammed itself into a truck transporting fuel. The explosion was huge and the amount of civilian casualties and loss of goods were immense. The policemen, firemen, paramedics from Arlington and other towns nearby had joined forces to try and help straighten things out. It is a shame the chaos has not concealed Finn and Rey’s arrival.  
The couple is truly in trouble. They do not have any identification papers as far as she knows and given the fact that the First Order has branded them as fugitives, it will not be hard for these cops to put two and two together.  
However, it has been a long time since they were arrested and brought here. Perhaps, through the efforts to restore the damage done by the accident earlier, the cops have simply forgotten about Finn and Rey.  
When the young scavenger stirred awake, a jailbird stretched in his cell. A middle-aged male who had been through a lot by the look of him. His wrinkled face is obscured by a tangled grey beard, a few hair strands have escaped the woolen hat on his head. He is wearing a bantha leather jacket that is a size too big for him, dark pants, and a pair of dirty loafers.  
Once the man yawns and rubs his lids, he slowly stands up to waddle towards the cell door. He simply pushes against it. The door hinges squeak obnoxiously, which peaks Finn and Bebe’s interest.   
“What the hell?” the young man mutters, confused.  
The vagrant makes his way towards the exit. Finn jumps to his feet quite hastily, causing Rey to blink sleepily.  
“Hey!” he calls out. “Where are you going?”  
The man turns around. “Out,” he says bluntly.  
And just like that he leaves. Finn cannot believe his eyes. He has seen a lot of things, but this takes the cake. It seems his companions feel exactly the same. Rey stands by his side along with Bebe. She reaches out to gently push the door. It does the same thing the other one did. Not even a couple of seconds pass and these two are running down the corridor.  
They come to a stop just as the main room of the police department comes into sight. It is sterile, all of the walls are either white or glass. There are some mementos reminding everyone of this place and people’s successes, but not enough to fill in empty spaces up on the walls. The cubicles form a maze where various personnel run around busily. They are answering phones, conversing with their collegues, typing on their computer consoles. No one stays in one place for too long.  
‘This is total madness,’ Finn thinks to himself, ‘but it could work.’  
It would definitely work considering the fact that nobody pays attention to anything other than their work. They could sneak out, one by one, and hope that the cop who picked them up does not notice them. The deserter looks around, trying to find the most convenient route. All of his planning goes to hell the second Bebe decides to run after the bum. The young man’s eye widen in disbelief, but he does not have to worry because the officers do not care about the animal’s presence. They do not notice it at all.  
Much to Finn’s dismay, Rey is the next one to go. He has no other choice but to follow her. There is a big crowd which enables him to squeeze through pretty quickly and catch up with his friend. He gets startled when a tall man bumps into him, but the guy does not even look at him and instantly disappears into the crowd.  
“I’m going to kill that dog,” the ex-trooper snarls once he is outside.  
Rey smeems to be in a better mood. There is a bright smile on her tanned face and her green eyes are sparkling. She raises her hand to shield her vision from the sunrays.  
“Look, Finn!” she exclaims.  
What is she looking at? The young man squints to see what has gotten the scavenger so excited. The problem is, he does not notice anything unusual or out of place. There are red brick buildings, cars, a few food stands and pedestrains minding their business. A rather hefty woman is walking her pet, or rather attempting to. The animal yanks on the leash, which forces her to pull back. It looks quite comical, but not weird. Well, maybe her ugly scarf that does not match with the rest of her outfit is worth mentioning...  
Rey’s bony fingers clutch his jaw and turn it a little to the right. He sees it now – a lorry partially obscured by a building.   
“We don’t even know if that’s actually--” the young man trails off because Rey grabs his hand and starts running.  
Why is Solo here? He clearly told Finn and his friend to back off, that he would not help them.   
Everything the ex-trooper knows is from stories swapped between other fellow soldiers. They have painted Han as a great, courageous man... quite the legend. He was one of many members of the Alliance to restore the Republic to destroy the Death Star and oppose the Empire. The actual man does not live up to the rumours. Finn saw a feeble old hoodlum who has rejected his titles, not a hero. Rey knows Han as a scoundrel, an infamous smuggler. To meet the man who made the Kessel run in 12 parsecs? It is like a dream come true! She even had a chance to drive the Millenium Falcon!  
And now Han is back. He has returned for them! Rey sees the Falcon clearly now and her heart swells up with hope. She cannot help but smile widely at the sight of the man himself.  
“You’re back!” she calls out.  
Han feels strangely relieved when he spots those two kids. They have come to him. That will certainly save him some time as he can spend doing something productive instead of asking around. In the beginning, he wanted them gone. The mere mention of the Resistance made him sick, bringing back unwanted memories. He had abandoned the life of a hero ages ago, it did not suit him. Deep down he has always been that cunning boy from Corellia running heists and lying his way out of trouble. What he had with Leia... it was great, but it could not last for long.  
His mind was made up when he told those brats to get lost, but Chewie had doubts. So Han figures he will take those two wherever they want, vanishing before anyone notices he is there at all, giving him have a clear conscience. It would be nice not being forced to listen to his best friend’s nagging, too.  
Solo is not sure what to think of the couple yet. If he is lucky, he will not need to dwell on it too much.   
“That thing you’re doing for the rebels. How important is it?” The ex-trooper opens his mouth to answer, but Han waves his hand to silence him. “You know what? I don’t wanna know. Just get in.”  
“Where are we going?” the girl asks, still grinning.  
“We’ll pay a visit to a friend of mine. She’ll know what to do with you.”


	8. Wishing

Finn has learned that falling asleep in a crowded lorry is not that difficult to accomplish. At first, he was still wary of the men sitting in the drivers’ seats, pressing buttons, and casually chatting with each other. Solo switched to auto-pilot not long after they had taken off in Arlington, making himself comfortable in his seat while his companion kept an eye on the controls. Bebe is now asleep on a blanket thrown carelessly under the seats.  
Rey, too, dozed off a while back, but not after bugging Solo with her constant questions as she could not help herself asking in excitement. The man was patient with her for the first five minutes. After five more he growled at her to get some rest and the girl did as she was told. It took some time to convince her that she would get the answers as soon as they got to his friend’s place. Eventually, Rey settled down with a pleased smile, probably thinking about all the things she is going to inquire Han about once again.  
While this was happening, Finn was obseriving the change in landscape. The ugly sandy terrain of Arizona was slowly disappearing, smoothly zooming past them. One by one, birches were transforming into small bushes, canyons into hills, yellow sand into grass, carcasses into blooming flowers; it is quite amazing how land can change in a span of an hour.  
Finn has spent almost all of his life in training facilities and barracks. Jakku was the first place he had visited if he can even call it that way. The young man does not have any memories of his childhood and he is not sure as to why. Was he too young to create any? Did he repress every image he acquired as a child? What was his hometown like? Was it lucious and green, barren and desolate, or maybe neither of those? Maybe it was full of snowy hills and frozen lakes, its people busy to provide for themselves.  
Finn imagines a small, dimly lit room. A basket and a fishing net lying near a fireplace. A man with dark skin and stern features is sitting on the stone cold floor, carving a figurine out of a block of wood. A girl wearing a washed out dress and thick wool socks is stitching a hole in a flimsy fabric. Further to the side there is a woman chopping vegetables. Her curly hair falls softly onto her face, concealing her expression. It is only when she raises her head to look at the toddler bundled in blankets, that he sees her bright smile.  
Finn wakes up to a full fledged argument going on between the passengers. Rey is awake and gesturing wildly with her arms, almost hitting him in the face.  
“Kill it, Chewie!”  
The truck stops and the engine noise dies. Solo and his hairy friend then begin to frantically check diodes and switching levels. The dashboard lights flicker a couple of times, making Han curse loudly.  
Suddenly, Rey reaches out her arm towards one of the panels, but flinches away immidately because Han slaps her hand away. She yelps in pain and cradles her palm. Finn sits up abruptly and tries to comfort his companion while shooting daggers at the old man with his eyes.  
“Just let me--”  
“You stay away from my--”  
Chewbacca lets out a grunt that silences everyone until Rey decides to speak up. “Plutt, put on the compressor so nobody would think of stealing it,” she sighs, her statement sounding obvious to her.  
The friends sitting in the front look confused as they subtly exchange glances.  
“The hell you talking about, kid?” Han growls out.  
The young scavenger once again stretches out her arm to reach the dashboard. Her fingers grasp a gray cubic object lodged in a socket and pull. It comess off easily and Rey smiles smugly as she presents Han the small piece of plastic. Next, the girl presses a series of buttons near the area where the compressor was put in. After that, she instructs Chewie to ignite the engine. Everything seems to work flawlessly.  
The young woamn shifts in discofmort because of the not so subtle, almost comical staring of her companions. They all look very impressed with her knowledge and skills, especially Finn. It irks her a little bit - the idea that a woman cannot know her way around a car is preposterous. However, this whole attention makes her flustered, too. Back in Jakku she knew her worth and needed nobody to remind her of it, but right now Rey lets herself sink in this sweet feeling of pride that she has never experienced before.  
Feeling happy, she hands Han the compressor who chucks it out of the window right away before turning to the console. "If only I coud put my hands on that moof milker..." he trails off gruffly.  
Soon, they cross the state border, but the young couple still has no idea where they are heading. Having been on the road for hours now, Han has not told them anything about that friend of his. He or she is supposedly able to help Finn get back to the Illenium system.  
Rey turns her gaze to the young man sitting next to her, feeling sentimental all of a sudden. She will have to say goodbye and she is not sure she wants to. Even though they have known each other for less than a week, the girl feels strangely attached to him. He is, quite honestly, her only friend. Or the closest thing to a friend. Rey shall miss him and these landscapes.  
Jakku seems so bleak and hollow compared to what she is able to see in this moment. All of the colours and shapes are like daydreams. Rey has never seen so much green in her entire life. Not so up close, anyway. Books lying in the abandoned huts have shown her pictures, sketches of flora and fauna that appears in far corners of the world. Those drawings with their washed up inking did not prepare her for the sights her eyes would be blessed with.  
Her heart swells with overwhelming sadness. Such beauty being hidden from her seems so unfair.  
The sad thoughts leave the young scavenger when the Falcon comes to a stop in a forest clearing, making her gasp in awe. Han informs the girl and her companion they have arrived to Takodana.  
It is a piece of land seemingly owned by nobody, buried away from unwanted visitors. There are mountains with snowy peaks that tower over the rest of the scenery, tall trees closely huddled together with bushes at their base as they colour the terrain with vibrant green, and a freshwater lake glowing softly in the sunbeams. And in this wilderness, there is a castle.  
Having exited the lorry, Rey stands in front of the lake shore, drinking this gorgeous view in with tears in her eyes. The building is so massive the girl has to crane her neck to see it in its entirety. How was this even built, she wonders.  
Han interrupts her musings when he stands next to her. He, too, appears to be in awe of this place.  
The man pokes her in the arm and she takes the gun he is offering her. It is warm to touch and feels heavy. Acting on instinct, the young woman curls her long fingers around the grip. It fits perfectly in her grasp.  
"You know how to use it?," Solo asks suddenly, as if he regretted ever giving her the pistol in the first place.  
She shrugs. "You pull the trigger?"  
He ignores her rather silly answer and scans her body with a stern expression. "So, you know your way around machines, eh?"  
"Yeah, more or less," Rey replies proudly, then thinks of countless hours of scrubbing parts until she could see the outline of her reflection in their shiny surfaces, and her smile fades.  
"Later, after we take care of business, I'd like to take up some of your time."  
Rey cocks her head to the side and blushes when she notices the old man's knowing face. She did hot-wire his car.  
"We'll see if you're such a good mechanic as they say," he murmurs to himself.  
Once Finn jogs up to them with Bebe at his side, they take off towards the castle. "Why are we here again?" the young man asks.  
"To have a delicious dinner in this fine establishment," Han's answer is sour and Finn grimaces. "We're gonna get you a clean transport, whaddaya think?"  
Not suprisingly, the castle looks even more impressive up close. It looks as if the walls have been trying to reach the light blue skies in vain. In the yard near the entrance there is a statue of a female wearing a flowy cape almost as tall as the towers. It could have been made out of bronze, but Rey is not sure. What catches her attention next is the amount of flags – dozens of them – swaying in the breeze. Each one has different insignia printed on colourful fabrics.  
"Don't stare," Han says once they reach the door.  
"At what?"  
"Just stay close."  
The young couple follows the old man inside after excchanging worried looks. As soon as they step into the building, silence falls over the place and every head turns sharply to gawk at the newcomers. All kinds of individuals are holed up here - scruffy-looking outlaws, washed up pleasure workers, gang members conspiringly whispering to each other and oridinary patrons just enjoying their meal or drink.  
Among them was Maz Kanata, a tiny frail woman who emits a field of strange force. Rey senses that a lot of people have underestimated her in the past and regretted it. She strides towards Han and the rest of the group, pushing away anyone standing in her way.  
"Han Solo," she mutters under her breath, in a disappointed tone, and just like that everyone gets back to what they were doing before. "Where's my boyfriend?"  
Finn raises his eyebrows at the question so Han rolls his eyes. "Hello to you, too. Chewie's outside."  
The woman nods, briefly satisfied with the answer and motions her guests to follow her. They are led away from the curious stares to an empty table. Maz shuffles out to the kitchen. "You kids are prolly hungry, huh?"  
Both Finn and Rey nod vigorously, too tongue-tied to speak up even though she cannot see that. Seconds later they hear a loud clunk and noises of pans hitting the floor. Then, there is a moment of silence and Maz bursts out of the kitchen, holding plates full of food. A cook brings in a jug and glasses.  
Rey has no idea what has just been given to her, but quite frankly she does not care. Her stomach twists painfully at the smell of meat. Having been eating military rations for over a decade, a mere thought of organic food fills her with joy. The moment Maz fills the girl's cup with warm liquid, she is already stuffing the sandwiches into her mouth.  
Meanwhile, Han fills Maz in with everything that has happened so far. She tuts, shaking her head. "How is it possible you've pulled yourself into this mess again?"  
"I just need you to bring this boy to Leia."  
The woman props her chin on her wrinkly palm and frowns as if she was considering his request. "Nope!" she finally chirps out. "I'm not doing your dirty job for you."  
Solo's hand hit his thighs with a loud clap, his face incredulous. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You can't honestly expect me to help you," she replies with an annoyed tone.  
The young scavenger stops chewing to take a few big gulps of whatever is in her cup. The liquid is sweet with a slight bitter undertone. It is so refreshing she pours herself some more. While doing so, the girl catches Finn sneak a piece of bread under the table and give it to Bebe. She smiles softly and being distracted jumps up when Han stands up abruptly. The man looks very angry.  
"Listen, Maz," he grits out. "I ain't here to listen to your moral lessons. I’m asking for a simple thing. You either say yes or no."  
Maz raises her eyebrows, looking unimpressed. He tells the young couple to enjoy the rest of their meal and storms off, bumping into other patrons.  
"Stubborn bastard," the old woman mumbles.  
Rey swallows her food and glances at Finn who looks just as uncomfortable. She does not know what happened that made the relationship between Han and Maz go south, but the situation does not look good. If the conflict escalates, it will take longer to bring Finn to the Resistance officals. That means Rey will be away from home for at least a few more days, which she cannot accept. It has already been too long.  
'Is that what Han Solo would have done,' she thinks bitterly, and having made up her mind, she starts to get up. Someone has to speak to the smuggler, make him throw his pride away. But just as she is getting ready to stand on her feet, Maz lifts her hand.  
"Now, now, you two," she points at the young friends, wearing a frown, "Stay here while I go after that moron. And these plates better be clean when I'm back!"  
Finn gulps in fear because of her threathening voice.


	9. Chapter 9

Cars are complicated machines. Some say they resemble a human’s body. To some extent, it is true. A car is not as fragile as a person but once the damage is done, it could not be as easy to restore it to its original state.  
Rey has experienced that feeling while working on her beloved truck. Over the excruciating period of trial-and-error, she managed to find the right salvageable parts that fit the car frame and engine. She spent hours putting it all together in order to be able to travel the long distance between her home and the Niima Outpost every day. To this day the girl remembers how happy she felt when the ignition was flipped on and the loud noise of the engine broke the silence of her desolate homeland.  
Right now Rey is standing in front of the Falcon with gloomy thoughts swarming in her head. Han motions her to climb onto the driver’s seat. The girl immediately notices the dangling wires and she winces. Han sits uncomfortably close next to her so she cowers away.  
“Sir?” she prompts, unsure of his state of mind.  
“Don’t ‘sir’ me, girl,” he shoots back not unkindly.  
Has he calmed down after the confrontation with Kanata? He does not look as agitated anymore even though there is a slight frown on kiss sun-kissed face. He tells her to speak about Plutt, referring to the blobfish as her ’friend’. She denies such level of association between her and the man.  
“He’s my employer,” she almost uses the past tense.  
The young scavenger comes to a very grim conclusion and that is Plutt will not be happy with her. Taking his property – although obtained with questionable means – beating up his lackeys, not showing up for work for days? People have been executed for less.  
“You steal for him?”  
“I’ve never stolen a thing in my life!” Rey hisses in defence. Han’s eyebrows knit in abashment. “I strip wreckages for him.”  
“He pays you for it?” he does not sound convinced. “How many credits?”  
Rey’s mouth opens and closes.  
“How many for a day?”  
The young girl does not know what to say. Unkar has never paid his workers with actual money simply because he does not have any. Since resources in Jakku and the area are scarce, the military rations left behind after the war are so valuable. Sometimes when off-worlders stumbled upon the settlement they offered money for the few services that were available. The dwellers then exchanged the credits for water, tools, or anything that could keep them alive. Ten portions soon became equal to thirty credits and that is how Unkar made a business for himself – by preying on someone else’s misery and desperation.  
Han waves his hand in dismissal, aware of her discomfort. He is hesitant to admit that the girl is growing on him. She is smart, too smart for her age. And intuitive, too. It is clear she can take care of herself just fine. Her skills could come in handy, he knows it.  
The Falcon is still in one piece, more or less, but some work is gonna be needed. Both the girl and the troopers have made their presence clear – the bullet holes pissed him off especially.  
“Anyway, Rey,” Han finally says. “Go take them tools from Chewie and we’ll get right to work.”  
Chewbacca is found tinkering with the lorry. Rey approaches him with a shy smile. She sees a couple of crates by the huge wheels. She goes to grab the toolbox standing nearby. It is heavier than she has expected. Once she is sure the battery is disconnected, she wastes no time and dives right in. Chewie has given the girl a pair of protective gloves made out of rough material but she puts them away as she has always preferred to work with bare hands whenever possible.   
After the steering wheel is removed she takes out the ignition lock and goes straight for the wiring. They get untwisted and separated in order to prevent any short circuits. Insulation tape is put on the frayed ends, which are then inserted delicately into a wiring harness connector. They are bound by a string and tucked away.   
Since Han managed to get his hands on some new parts while Finn and Rey were locked up, she has no problem with putting the dash up right away. Next, the young girl takes the brand new ignition lock, places it in the right socket so she can move onto the steering wheel. The one Han got has a smooth brown leather wrapping that feels smooth under Rey’s fingertips.   
Even though she has finished her work faster than she expected, it is still not the end of it.  
As soon as Rey puts down her screwdriver, Han beckons her. He has been working on the engine, probably feeling spooked by the compressor Unkar is responsible for, and has had some issues. This time Rey has to wear the gloves. She is instructed by the old man to hold this, screw that in, pass the right wrench, change the wires and oils. This is clearly his way of punishing her.  
She has kept her mouth shut through it all but in the end, she feels mentally exhausted. Solo’s unnecessary comments have almost made her scream – only Chewie’s presence has kept her somewhat sane. The excitement due to meeting a living legend has begun to wane and so when announces they shall take a break, she instantly thinks back to that promise he made her on the way to Takodana.  
The man plops down on a crate with a bottle of clear liquid and takes a big sip. When Rey does not sit, he motions her to rest next to him. She does so hesitantly, feeling a spark of anticipation once again.   
He passes the bottle to the scavenger and sends her a look saying ‘go on, I know you’re dying from curiosity.’  
“Why’d you come back?” she asks the first question that comes to her mind.  
Han’s lips press themselves into a thin line. He has hoped she would not pick that particularly uncomfortable enquiry. He really wants to say something like, ‘what’s it matter? We’re here now, ain’t we?’ but that answer would certainly not satisfy Rey and he see her pursing her lips, disappointed, in his mind.  
“Chewie wouldn’t stop bugging me. Had to do something to shut him up,” the man clears his throat, unsure if the carefree approach was the right one. “He likes you for some reason."  
“Have you known Maz for long?”  
“For almost my whole life.”  
“Is she your...” the girl trails off, not knowing which word to use. “Caretaker?”  
‘Mother figure’ would have fit better, perhaps.  
“I reckon so,” he shrugs. “She got my back in some of the toughest times. Helped me with a couple of runs.”  
Rey sees that the man has grown sheepish because he is avoiding eye contact and wringing his hands so she changes the subject. It is evident the ex-war hero is not the best at expressing emotions, instead opting for jokes or lighthearted quips. Deep down the scavenger cannot help but feel a pang of jealousy, bitterly prickling her heart, and wishes she had a mentor. Anyone but Unkar Plutt would do.  
There is another matter that has been bothering her for quite a while. ”Finn said you’d fought in the war.”  
Han inhales deeply, suddenly feeling at loss of words, and curses that damn kid and his loud mouth. He knows where this is going – prolonged war stories about the amazing deeds he did - so he tries to give the girl an answer that is both satisfactory and good enough to steer the conversation towards a different, safer topic.  
“I was coerced into it,” he states half-jokingly, half-dismissively. “Had I known to destroy the Death Star paid so poorly, I’d've thought of it twice.”  
“They’re true? The stories?”  
Han scoffs. “They are. The Force, the Order, all of it.”  
“So, Luke Skywalker--”  
“Yeah, I knew him.” The mention of his best friend’s name forces Solo’s mouth to turn down just a little bit.  
“That’s amazing!” Rey beams at him. “How’d you get the Falcon?”  
“I won her in a game of sabacc.”  
“Did you really do the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs?” He nods. “Some people have said it was 14.”  
“It was 12!” Han snaps. Him getting up and walking back to the lorry officially ends the exchange. Chewbacca inquires him about something, but the old man mumbles under his breath, waving his hand to shush his friend. Next, he grabs a flashlight standing nearby in order to direct its light beam at the hidden parts of the engine. “Left the best for last.”  
Once the sun starts to set down, they hurry back to the castle, having assessed most of the damage inflicted by Plutt and the troopers. Finally, Chewie has a chance to chat with Maz over a drink. Han is nowhere to be seen, probably hiding from everyone in some dark corner.  
Rey is on her own, left to wander around after bringing Maz’s back into a cubby covered in a thin layer of dust. She decides to find Finn.   
Entering the cantina, she is hit with a cloud of smoke that causes her to stifle a cough. It is getting late so most of the patrons have already left or retired to their chambers. Music is quietly playing in the background, conversations are hushed, the overall atmosphere is mellow. She manoeuvers around the tables, moving towards the bar, and finds the kitchen empty.  
The room is rather narrow with cabinets and counters on the left and stoves on the right. There are a couple of pots filled with aromatic stew sitting on the burners. She stirs it with a wooden spoon but does not dare taste it. Her tummy is still full of the food she has eaten in the early afternoon.  
The counters are piled with dirty pans among all kinds of kitchen utensils thrown around carelessly. The girl walks towards the huge fridge, treading cautiously so that she does not step into the trash that has been left on the stone floor. When she gets to the entrance of a strange room, she is startled by a stumpy figure exiting the said area. Stronto ‘Cookie’ Tuggs is holding a crate full of what looks like vegetables, which are threatened to fall down because of him abruptly stopping in the hall. He growls at her in annoyance and she mumbled a quick apology.  
“What're you here for, girl?" his tone softens.  
“I’m looking for Finn.”  
“Who?”  
“Finn. The boy I’ve come here with.”  
Stronto’s scarred face frowns in thoughtfulness. He drops the crate on the counter that seems the cleanest and begins to put each vegetable down but not before diligently turning it over in search for any flaws or blemishes.   
The man lets out a hum. “That no good, lazy brat?”  
Rey scowls lightly but nods.  
He waves his hand in the general direction of the cantina. “He’s out there with the hound.”  
The girl goes back outside and, as Stronto said, Finn is serving what is left of patrons, although he is doing a rather sloppy job. The sour expression on his dark-skinned face while he is attempting at balancing a tray with glasses and bowls standing on it. The young man stumbles in front of Rey with a relieved smile. Bebe joins him right after getting satisfied with pets he has been receiving from a balding man dressed in smuggler’s garb.  
“Thank Maker, you’re here!” her companion lets out a weary sigh. “Solo wasn’t bullying you too much?”  
Rey shakes her head – there is no need in adding fuel to blooming conflict between the young man and bitter smuggler. They have been butting heads for some time, which has Rey and Chewie rolling their eyes. It is a result of stress and exhaustion, but still, it would be nice not to snap at one another constantly – they have a common goal even if Han does not want to admit it.  
Once Stronto tells the young couple to bugger off, they head towards their quarters they have been given for the time being. They go up a stone staircase that leads to a long corridor where they pass a tall fair-skinned woman.  
Their room is at the end of the hallway. Finn unlocks the heavy door and the interior is revealed to the youngsters. Immediately, they are hit with a musky smell of a long un-occupied room.  
It is not spacious but it should be big enough for the two of them and the dog. There is a bed pushed to the wall that has only a mattress placed in the frame. The nightstand which is standing next to it looks beaten up but it still holds its shape. The only thing left is a small table with a mismatched white chair.  
Bebe lets himself in first and Finn follows soon after. He does not stop to look around curiously unlike Rey. It must be a regular occurrence for him to rest in such accommodations, she figures somewhat bitterly.  
The sound of soft steps wakes Rey from her musings. Maz walks into the room with a vigour which can be due to the amount of alcohol she has consumed. There are grey sheets and what looks like vibrantly colourful fabrics in her arms. She sets her gifts on the table and asks dryly, “The place up to your tastes?”  
However, the woman does not give them time to answer because her hands make a loud clapping sound when she clasps them together.   
“Good, good!" she murmurs and turns to Finn. ”Tomorrow you’ll get your transport to wherever it is you want to go. For now, you’ll be staying here. The bathroom’s to the left, just gotta get hot water from the boiler room. Brought you clothes to change into. You two did good today, get some rest.”  
She finishes her little monologue with a sigh. “So, any questions?”  
Silence seems to be enough of a reply so Maz nods and motions Finn to get buckets from the bathroom for water. The woman pushes him out of the room, hurrying him, just to suddenly stop in her tracks as if she remembered something very important. Kanata looks piercingly at Rey through those large lenses and says with appreciation, ”No idea what you did to that stubborn oaf but it worked.”


End file.
